The City Council wants utility and construction companies to better communicate with businesses while doing work on local streets so owners can prepare for any temporary loss of electricity or blocked access to their business.

District 5 Councilor William J. Eddy said at the City Council meeting Tuesday night that ongoing electrical conduit work in the Tatnuck Square area has created havoc for some business owners because they have had to put up with planned temporary power outages at inopportune times.

In some instances, he said, business owners did not know of the planned outages until they occurred.

He said a bakery owner in Tatnuck Square nearly faced an “absolute business disaster” earlier this week when its power was going to be temporarily cut off during what it said was one of its busiest weeks of the year.

In filing a petition on behalf of the Tatnuck Square business community, Mr. Eddy called on the city administration to begin discussions with the utilities and street construction crews that perform planned non-emergency work on city streets about ways to improve their communication with businesses.

“What is going on in Tatnuck Square points out that we need to work together on this,” he said. “The city administration can’t sit on the sidelines. This week we averted an absolute business disaster with a bakery in Tatnuck Square; there were planned outages (the owner) did not know about.

“We also have three-week projects that turn into six-week projects and businesses aren’t kept up to date about what is going on,” he added. “This is about having ongoing, real-time communication. If timelines aren’t going to be met, then (the utilities and construction companies) need to consistently provide updates on where things stand so businesses can plan accordingly. People have to make a living; they should not have surprises. It’s time for the (city) administration to come off the sidelines and work with National Grid because we can all do better on this.”

District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera said they have experienced the same problems in the neighborhoods they represent.

Mr. Palmieri said businesses along Lincoln Street had to endure a very complicated street construction project that took “an incredible amount of time” to get done. He said things got so bad that some gas stations on Lincoln Street nearly had to close because of the loss of business.

“For long-term projects, it would not hurt to meet once a week with business owners to keep them up to date as to what is going on,” he said.

Ms. Rivera said similar issues arose for business owners when street work was being done on parts of Main and Millbury streets earlier this year.

Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes said it is the type of issue that comes up periodically and with good cause.

She said it requires the city to be persistent because the utility and street construction work affects the livelihood of small business owners.

Councilor-at-Large Frederick C. Rushton said the city should make as part of the permitting process for utilities and street construction contractors a requirement that they regularly meet or update business owners about the status of the work they are doing in their area.

“The burden should be on them,” Mr. Rushton said. “Ultimately, it’s National Grid’s responsibility to be a good citizen.”

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